Exclusive: First Images & Set Report from “The Space Between Us”

HNS was part of a lucky few who got to visit the set of upcoming film “The Space Between Us” starring Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson. Take a look at these exclusive first images from the film and read about what we learned on set below!

Full synopsis: In this interplanetary adventure, a space shuttle embarks on the first mission to colonize Mars, only to discover after takeoff that one of the astronauts is pregnant. Shortly after landing, she dies from complications while giving birth to the first human born on the red planet – never revealing who the father is. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Gardner Elliot – an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who reaches the age of 16 having only met 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing. While searching for clues about his father, and the home planet he’s never known, Gardner begins an online friendship with a street smart girl in Colorado named Tulsa. When he finally gets a chance to go to Earth, he’s eager to experience all of the wonders he could only read about on Mars – from the most simple to the extraordinary. But once his explorations begin, scientists discover that Gardner’s organs can’t withstand Earth’s atmosphere. Eager to find his father, Gardner escapes the team of scientists and joins with Tulsa on a race against time to unravel the mysteries of how he came to be, and where he belongs in the universe.

Set visit:

At a public high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, HNS had the chance to visit the set of “The Space Between Us” and watch a few scenes being filmed with the film’s leads Britt Robertson and Asa Butterfield. It was day 31 of 37, and production was in full swing. The scenes we watched took place at a high school, including a scene where Tulsa fights off bullies and takes off on her motorcycle and the first time Gardner meets Tulsa in the hallway of the high school, where he is met with not exactly the reaction he was expecting from an enraged Tulsa. Just a regular school day for the students, the energy from the set was palpable, with several students fascinated by the filmmaking process and stopping to watch from afar.

One thing we learned while on set is that Britt Robertson learned how to drive a motorcycle for the role and underwent motorcycle training. One of the scenes we saw filmed showed her character fending off bullies, breaking a kid’s iPad and then taking off on a motorcycle, very bad-ass like. When asked what was important for Britt to bring to the character of Tulsa, she said, “I think it’s really important that she’s tough and defensive, and that she has this real exterior that’s actually very different to who she is on the inside. I think in contrast to that, it’s very important that she be vulnerable in moments as well, to make sense of why she’s so tough. So to find that balance.” In just the few scenes we got to watch being filmed, I can say that Britt manages to do exactly that.

Though we haven’t yet seen the film, we were lucky enough to get a chance to read the script, and I can tell you that it is unique, beautifully written and full of raw human emotions that will break your heart at times. The film’s two main characters, Gardner (played by Asa Butterfield) and Tulsa (played by Britt Robertson), live their lives isolated from the world, but in very different ways. Gardner in the obvious sense, as he has grown up living on Mars, away from anyone his own age and without Earth’s many unique features. Asa Butterfield, who gives Gardner an otherworldly quality that is sure to captivate the audience, plays this brilliantly. Producer Richard Lewis describes Tulsa, “She’s a foster child – probably been ignored, passed from home to home and doesn’t trust anybody. And Britt Robertson is just fantastic as this character. She’s just really brought it to life. She’s this very tough, feisty young woman. And he’s [Gardner] just going to be stunned by it, because he has no socialization.”

The story is about loss, self-discovery, isolation and most importantly the power of human connection. What makes this film so unique is the circumstances of the story, the situations that these characters have been thrown into, without any fault of their own. Gardner has so little idea of the world, of what normal human interaction is, of just being a normal teenager. It’s heartbreaking to watch him desperately try to be normal and live a regular life, even if it literally is killing him. Director Peter Chelsom described the themes of the story with us, and I think described the story best when he said, “It’s a film about separation and connection amplified by the vastness of space.”